Note: Social Media Consultant Maureen Fischer contributed hundreds of hours of her time to Amicus in launching this blog and integrating it with our other social media. Thanks Maureen! You’ve made “Inside Change” something we can all be proud of. You’re always an Amicus in our eyes!

Once a month on a Saturday morning, Tim Hereid heads to the state prison in Stillwater to visit Jerome Nunn. Over the past year, the two have become good friends. The following interview describes Tim’s experiences as a One to One volunteer visiting Jerome, Jerome’s 30-year sentence and his leadership role within Stillwater.

Tim, 32, works as a tutor, handyman and grad student in education currently writing his thesis. Jerome, 34, organizes Stillwater’s athletic teams, teaches a class and is earning a BA in religious studies while serving a 30-year sentence.

Why is Jerome in prison?

He’s in for murder. He’s just 34, and he’s been in prison since he was nineteen. He’s considered the possibility he may never get out. But it’s strange—he really has a spark of life in his eyes I don’t see in most people. He’s not happy to be in prison, of course. There’s a lot of shit you deal with in prison, but he seems to be comfortable in his skin, his place in the world.

A mandatory minimum of 30 years—how does he deal with that?

I pretty much avoid conversations about work and a career once he’s out. We don’t know if “out” is even a possibility. He has at least 15 more years to serve his sentence; that’s the mandatory minimum. Then the parole board says when you can be let out into society. So realistically, he’s looking at 20-25 more years.

Laws were passed in the mid 90s. During the Clinton era they were increasing sentences. I remember the 90s as tough on crime. Even in high school, I thought mandatory minimums were a little outrageous. There are still a lot of men and women serving these sentences. Murder’s not good, but in my in-expert opinion I think the guy’s fine to be out. It’s been fifteen years.

How does he pay for his university courses?

It’s usually pretty affordable—a couple hundred bucks. Though for somebody earning 25 cents an hour, it’s tough. Still, there’s not that much to spend money on in prison. And he can get some scholarships; different colleges have programs he can access. The hard thing is, the University is dropping its correspondence courses (inmates can not go online and use the Internet, so correspondence is the only option). A policy change needs to occur.

What have you learned about prison?

I feel there is racial tension between Native Americans, African Americans, whites and others. And there’s a group of people that are always the targets—sexual predators. Jerome abhors that bullying behavior. He doesn’t think it’s okay to harass somebody. According to him, he’s been able to keep people from bullying some of these guys.

How do other prisoners treat him?

He’s quite well respected. He’s been there fifteen years, longer than most of the others. He’s not a huge guy, not physically imposing. His respect stems from his general attitude. He also organizes all the sporting events, the basketball, so it helps to be on his good side. He has some influence.

Is it noisy and difficult to talk, or is the visiting room pleasant?

It’s not noisy. It’s full of people talking, but the visiting room is one of the nicest areas in the prison. There’s carpet and wallpaper. The only thing is the chairs are locked in position; you sit farther away from people than normal. Jerome and I are sitting six feet apart, which is odd. The most bizarre thing is you see people doing the video, the closed-caption visit—they’re in lockdown somewhere else in the facility and can’t visit anyone physically. It’s hard.

The possibility exists that Jerome may finally gain his freedom in 15 years at age 49. But only if the parole board judges him ready to re-enter society. Meanwhile, Tim continues his visits with an inmate and friend he finds as ambitious, intelligent and upstanding as anyone in the outside world.

Watch for a future post on Jerome’s restorative justice work at Stillwater.

Amicus needs volunteers. Call 612-348-8570 or go to our website at www.amicususa.org. If you volunteer now, please post a comment.

Signup for our Email Newsletter

“I know in my heart that if it wasn’t for Amicus I would still be in prison.” Released in fall of 2012, James is tasting freedom for the first time in 28 years. He’s out and determined to stay out because he believes that’s the best way to thank those who helped him. The world […]

Editor’s Note- This post came to Amicus from Barry, an inmate currently serving a life sentence at Minnesota Correctional Facility – Stillwater. Determined to show he has changed from the young man who committed his crimes, Barry has worked during his incarceration to earn two Associate degrees, his Bachelors, and is nearing his Masters degree in […]

CONTACT: Steve Nelson, Communications Director, 612-877-4268, steve@amicususa.org For Immediate Release Amicus Radius Honored as 2012 Program of the Year by Minnesota Women’s Consortium Program works with teenage girls involved in the juvenile justice system The Minnesota Women’s Consortium has chosen the Amicus Radius Program to receive their Program of […]

by Steve Nelson, Amicus Communications Director Sometimes one of the hidden blessings of a loss is that we see more clearly the gifts we had been given. It is in that bittersweet intersection between gratitude and loss that we at Amicus find ourselves at the passing of a true friend. John Blackstone passed away yesterday. […]

In a few short hours it’s going to be Thursday, November 15. That’s important because it is “Give to the Max Day.” This is the time when Minnesota nonprofits, including Amicus, often ask engaged people like you to make an online donation to support their cause. Much of this blog has been devoted toward stories […]

Susan Mwarabu has been a volunteer social media contributor for Amicus since 2011. Susan relocated to North Carolina and is currently in graduate school, attaining her Masters in Public Administration. Her experiences with the justice system have prompted her series of letters to Amicus which will highlight her first meeting with Amicus, her probation exper […]

Editor’s Note: We’re pleased to be able to publish occasional blog posts from participants in the Amicus Connections Group, a monthly circle comprised of men who are incarcerated at Minnesota Correctional Facility Stillwater. Many of those in the Connections Group are serving life sentences. They’ve agreed to provide letters which offer insights on the human […]

Susan Mwarabu has been a volunteer social media contributor for Amicus since 2011. Susan relocated to North Carolina and is currently in graduate school, attaining her Masters in Public Administration. Her experiences with Amicus have prompted her series of letters to Amicus which will highlight her first meeting with Amicus, her probation experiences, as w […]

Joe Davis is an Amicus client who was recently released into society after incarceration. He dropped off the following story which is based on some Caribbean folk wisdom. For him, the story is about one of the most important strategies for a successful reentry by someone finishing up a prison sentence – choosing one’s friends […]

Amicus & Friends

Email Subscription

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.